Breakdown of Elles sont montées sur la colline.
être
to be
sur
on
elles
they (feminine)
monter
to go up
la colline
the hill
Questions & Answers about Elles sont montées sur la colline.
Why does montées have an extra -es at the end?
How do I know to use sont (from être) instead of ont (from avoir) here?
Monter (to go up or to climb) is one of the special verbs of movement or change of state. These verbs always use être as their helping verb in the past tense. You might remember them as the "Dr & Mrs Vandertramp" verbs or the "house of être" verbs.
Why do we use sur here? The translation says "up the hill", not "on the hill".
If the group of people had both men and women, would the sentence change?
Learn Elles sont montées sur la colline and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free